Puppet
by Shinra Sephiroth
Summary: Sora and Riku are separate and suffering from their roles as puppets to the dark. However, there is one person that understands their positions, having been a puppet himself, and is possibly the tie to bring them together. CloudSora RikuSora CloudRiku Clo
1. Life's a Stage

This is something that randomly came to me when I was playing KH:CoM all over again and they were talking about being puppets, and after playing FF:VII again and watching the Advent Children trailer with Kadaj saying that Cloud was a puppet. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but...I have this problem with making stories short. I can do short chapters, but short stories? No.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not owned by me. Neither are any Disney characters or Final Fantasy characters. If they were... Then I probably would have never been allowed to play FF games, and Kingdom Hearts wouldn't be rated E anymore, MUAHAHAHA!

-P-u-P-p-E-t-

Vexen's words had struck him. Was he really just Marluxia's puppet? Was he that easily manipulated? Sora contemplated the things that had led him here. All along he had been playing into Marluxia's hands. It was so stupid...why hadn't he noticed? He was so weak-what was the point of continuing on? How would he ever find Riku if everything he did help the adversaries- without him knowing it!

Riku...he wondered what had happened to him. Did he escape the doors? He must have! Though Riku's heart may have been weak, his determination was astounding. There was no way he would have given up. Plus the King was with him. Sora knew within his heart that Riku had escaped, but where was he now?

It felt so strange to be separated from his childhood friend for so long. They had only seen each other a few times since that fateful night on Destiny Islands and more than half the times it had been as enemies. It hurt to think of his friend as an enemy-even more so that since they had been apart, Sora found that perhaps his attraction to Riku wasn't just friendship. But there was no point thinking about that...it was just wishful daydreaming, and very intangible because of their complete separation.

Sora hacked at a few Heartless, though his heart was not in it. Was killing these playing right into Marluxia's hands as well, was he supposed to be killing them? When the area was clear, he sat down on a barrel near a column, not wanting to do anything. Was he giving up? He didn't know. Was this something Marluxia wanted, too? Was he really just doing whatever the strings told him to? Sora was surprised when something wet dripped onto his leg, leaving a spot. He realized he was crying.

-p-U-p-P-e-T-

Riku glared at the patch of air that had been occupied just moments ago. Ansem's words had stung him more than he felt like admitting. Since when was he a puppet? Since he gave himself over to the darkness, let his body be ruled by Ansem. Why had he done it? Because he was hurt, he had been weak. Seeing Sora seemingly give him no thought as he had his own little adventures with his newfound friends.

Riku still found himself smarting over it, though he had resolved that it wasn't really Sora's fault. If anything he felt guilty that he was so weak that he forced Sora to accept responsibility as Keyblade master, instead of himself. Sora-his childhood crush since before he could remember. Not that he would actually SAY anything about it. He still had a hard time admitting it to himself.

But back on to the task at hand. Ansem. The one who claimed to be pulling Riku's strings as a helpless puppet. Was it true? Yes, and it scared him to think that everything he did was because of another person willing it away. He could still feel Ansem laughing at him from inside. He wished he could do something about it- anything, since at the moment, all he could do was stand and fume at his helplessness. His damned helplessness.

He pulled himself together, throwing his mask of assuredness back over him, and stepping through the next door, hoping to find some answers that would help him through his dejected state.

-p-U-p-P-e-T-

Sora looked up quickly at the sound of approaching footsteps, grabbing his Keyblade cautiously, expecting a Heartless or another one of the 'Organization'. Instead, he found himself watching the sway of a blood-red cloak caressing black attire that encased the figure under them. A black wing hung behind, which moved fluidly with each step. His eyes traveled up to see striking blond, spiky hair, of which few strands dangled in front of disturbingly blue eyes.

"Cloud?" Sora asked, wondering why he was approaching him, wiping his eyes self-conciously, trying to forget that he had been crying.

"Hey Sora." Cloud said in his strangely soft voice. It wasn't really soft, yet the almost hidden undertones in his voice made you think that it was.

"Um...hi. What're you doing here?" Sora asked him, all too aware of the dark spots on his pants from the tears. His face was probably puffy and red as well.

"Well, this is the colliseum, isn't it? I'm still signed up whether I like it or not." He explained in a defeated manner. Cloud looked at him closely. "Sora...are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I guess..." Sora replied, looking down at the ground.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at him. "You guess? What happened?"

Sora sighed, "It's nothing. Stupid really." he said quietly. For some reason the blonde's presence calmed him.

"It doesn't seem like nothing to me." Cloud told him wisely pulling another barrel close with his clawed arm and sitting on it beside Sora. "Wanna talk about it?"

The blonde's willing and helpful attitude was just what Sora needed at the moment. Though Cloud was older than him, and had probably gone through traumatic experiences in his life, he had a way of making people feel at the same level, as if no one's problems were better or worse than others. Whatever it was, it got Sora to talk. "Well, like I said, it's stupid, but...Vexen said something to me. He told me that I was just Marluxia's puppet... It made me wonder. Is it true? Am I really just...a puppet?" Sora stared at his hands that were now shaking in his lap.

Cloud made and incomprehensible noise, which caused Sora's eyes to shift upwards to the blonde's face. He was surprised to see that Cloud's expression had darkened, and he was glaring at the air, apparently caught in memory.

"C-Cloud?" Sora asked apprehensively, "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" He was taken aback and slightly afraid at the utterly cold look on Cloud's face, and was profoundly grateful that the look was not being directed at him.

Cloud's face softened at Sora's voice, and he turned to look at him. "It...wasn't you. I was just remembering something from the past, that's all."

"Oh." Sora replied, then, unable to abate his curiousity, "What happened?"

Cloud looked silently for a moment, before answering with another question, "Didn't curiousity kill the cat?"

Sora couldn't help but grin as he shot back, "Yes, but satisfaction brought it back. Besides, since when was I a cat?" He was trying to bring a smile back to Cloud's face, which looked utterly forlorn without it.

It worked. Cloud smiled softly, "Alright, you win -this time." He sighed, his face going distant again. "Do you...remember Sephiroth?" he asked quietly.

Sora nodded. How could he have ever forgotten? It had been the hardest battle in his life, forcing him to use everything he had to offer, and still he lost. Multiple times-to his shame. Plus, silvery hair and piercing green eyes were not something you saw every day- unless your best friend was Riku, whose features were remarkably similar- but like Sora was brooding earlier; He didn't see him often at all anymore. "Yeah, what about him?"

"Well...at one point...I was his puppet. I would do anything he wanted me to. It went beyond him putting me into situations where I'd be forced to act the way he wanted, into actual control of my body." Cloud shuddered, "He..he almost made me kill her myself..." He said almost inaudibly.

Sora stared at him silently, shocked at this revelation. It seemed that Cloud's problems in the past were much worse than his own now. "Who's 'her'...?" He asked softly, his curiousity getting the better of him again, and he was profoundly glad to not have been a cat.

Cloud did not look at him, and it soon became obvious that he was not going to recieve an answer. He wisely backed off, realizing that he may have stepped a bit too far.

They sat in silence for a while, and Sora took the oppourtunity to let his gaze wander over Cloud's figure. The cloak trailed across his back, fastened across his neck and shoulder in some unseen manner. The edges of it had seen much wear, as they were jagged and torn. The black ribbed wing added a menacing contrast to the crimson cloak beneath it, seeming to be a foreign part of Cloud's body. As if it were a recent addition. It quite possibly was. The claw on his hand was gold and shined- obviously well taken care of, and it rested on his knee, the other arm lay across the metal in an unmoving caress. His intense blue eyes gazed unseeingly at the air before him, full of turmoil as he recalled something that must have been unplesant. The fleeting smile had left his pale lips entirely, making Sora depressed as well for reasons unknown.

Finally, unable to stand the silence anymore, Sora decided to ask another question of his brooding companion. "Cloud...how did you get over it? Being a puppet, I mean." He clarified, hoping that Cloud would break out of his disheartened shell.

Cloud's eyes once again met Sora's lighter blue ones. "Why do you ask the hardest questions?" He asked in return.

Sora thought the question rhetorical, but as Cloud didn't volunteer anything else, he opened his mouth to answer, not sure of what he was going to say.

The blonde, however, did answer Sora's question. "I suppose I tried to destroy the puppeteer."

"And did it work?" The brunette pressed.

After another long pause, Cloud offered, "Well...yes and no. I thought him dead, and that kept me going for a while...but the thought that I had been a puppet still haunted me in the dark corners of my mind, and it turned out that I didn't even destroy him, really. As you have seen. He hasn't bothered me at all since I knew he was still alive, though."

"So...you never got over it?" Sora asked, worried. Worried that he, too would never get over the horrors of being manipulated.

"Well, never fully, no. But I found that focusing your mind on other things and finding distractions helps...a lot." Cloud replied, once again averting his gaze to look at nothing. Nothing visible, anyway. It was obvious that he was looking at something, if only in his memories.

Sora watched expressions play across the youthful adult's visage. Happiness, sorrow, pain, and content were a few of the emotions that he caught from the suddenly emotion-ridden face. "What...kind of distactions?" the younger one asked, interupping the recalling of memories.

Cloud smiled faintly, and as he looked at Sora, there was a pink tint to his cheeks. "Uh...people, I guess. I found someone...who meant something to me. Someone who distracted me from the cruelties of life you could say."

"Like a girlfriend?" Sora asked him.

A small smirk touched the pale lips as Cloud answered, "...Yeah, something like that."

"Who was she? Is she? Do I know her?" Sora pestered, unable to help himself.

Cloud's face closed off, and he remained silent. Realizing that he may have gone to far, Sora stayed noiseless as well.

The silence was eventually broken by the elder. "Was. And, yeah, you know...him."

Sora blinked at that revelation. He never thought that Cloud was gay. But then again, he never bothered to think about his sexual preferences, so it wasn't as big a shock as it could have been. Upon further thought, Cloud WAS good looking. His pants clung to his hips well, and his creamy cheeks were virtually umblemished. Sora could only think that the skin under his clothes was probably just as perfect.

He suddenly realized where his train of thought was going, and did his best to switch tracks quickly. He was in a personal crisis, and didn't have time to think about Cloud's sexiness...even though it was rather apparent now that he thought about it. Or didn't think about it. DIDN'T.

Still, his overwhelming curiousity pushed him to ask; "Who? Who's 'him'?"

Cloud again paused, contemplating whether he should tell. Coming to a decision, he answered, "Squall...or Leon as he now likes to be called."

Sora's eyebrow shot up of it's own accord. Questions flitted through his mind. Cloud and Leon were an item? How long ago? How serious were they? Who was on top? He forced a blush from his cheeks at the last question, preferring not to think about it.

He searched for something to say, and finally decided on, "Oh..." Great, smooth talker you are there, Sora. How dumber can you get? "So...he distracted you from your memories?"

Cloud nodded soundlessly, his blonde hair flicking with his head movement. "Yeah...we broke up a couple months ago." He said, answering one of Sora's unspoken questions.

"I'm sorry, Cloud. And here I am asking you all these questions about the thing you've been avoiding, and you don't even have someone to distract you from it." Sora apologized, feeling awful.

"Maybe..." Cloud said, piercing Sora's blue eyes with his own, "But it's nice to be able to talk about it with someone who's going through the same thing. Besides...you do a pretty good job at distraction as well, Sora." He smiled caringly.

Sora couldn't help the heat rising to his cheeks and he knew he was blushing furiously. What had Cloud meant by THAT? Perhaps he was reading a bit between the lines, but was Cloud hitting on him? "So... You're saying all I have to do is find a distraction, and maybe even get rid of Marluxia?"

"That's what I did. I'm not sure if I was going about it the right way, but it worked for me." Cloud was still smiling at him in a way that sent butterflies flocking to his stomach.

Sora smiled back at the usually quiet blonde. "I appreciate your help and advice. You didn't have to sit down and talk with me, or anything." He told him thankfully.

"I didn't have to...but I wanted to. It just doesn't look right when you're unhappy, it mars your cuteness." Cloud told him unashamedly.

Sora felt himself blushing redder. Yeah, Cloud was definitely hitting on him, but for some reason it didn't drive him away at all. In fact... "You're the one who's looks are messed up when you're sad. You look so much better when you smile." The brunette told his older companion truthfully. "Not that you don't look attractive when you're not smiling or anything." His eyes widened and he clamped a hand over his mouth, face heating once again. He had meant that last comment to be in his head, but for some reason it slipped out.

Cloud laughed, "Well, that's nice to hear. Did you mean it, or were you just saying that to be nice?" he asked, still looking at him in a way that made Sora sure his entire body was roughly the shade of an overripe tomato.

"Oh, well...y-yeah, I meant it." Sora stuttered, "I mean...I can see why Leon liked you and everything. When I first met you I thought you were just like all the other people who had sold themselves to darkness. You proved yourself though, and I appreciate all the help you've given me. I just don't get why you'd help someone like me..." Yeah, he was flirting, but so what? Cloud started it, and he was hot, too, so what was the matter? Maybe...maybe even Cloud could be his distraction, since he and Leon had broken up... Was Cloud looking for someone again?

"Why wouldn't someone want to help you, Sora?" the blonde asked rhetorically. Sora shivered inwardly at the sound of his own name from Cloud's lips. His name...being spoken in the soft voice that was Cloud's... "You're sweet, kind, even funny at times. You have an irresistable, adorable pout, and the way your hair falls into your face is just downright cute." He told Sora flagrantly, reaching his unclawed hand that had a glove on it which stopped at his fingers, up to brush a stray lock of brown hair out of Sora's face, hooking it behind his ear.

The blush that had finally subsided from Sora's cheeks now came back in full force. "You're flirting." he accused the golden-haired seducer.

Cloud smirked, "...Yeah, I am." He said unabashedly. "Do you mind?"

Sora was taken aback at that question, and his opinion of Cloud went a notch higher. He was asking Sora's permission to flirt with him? He smiled shyly and replied, "No, I suppose not. You make a pretty good distraction."

Cloud leaned closer to Sora. "You're a better one." he told him.

The brunette shook his head. He could smell a faint spicy scent coming from Cloud. In fact, if they were any closer he'd probably feel his breath as well. "No I'm not. You're much hotter than I am." He clamped his mouth shut again. I did NOT just say that to his face!

The smile Cloud gave him was one that sent tingles running through his body, and the blonde leaned even closer to Sora. His prediction was right, he COULD feel Cloud's warm breath. It flowed over his face like a plesant gentle breeze. "Sora...you are amazingly cute." Cloud drew a deep breath, as if he was preparing to get a brick thrown in his face or something like that. "May...may I kiss you, Sora?"

Sora blinked at him before the full implicatins of what had just been asked hit him, causing a set of pink cheeks to show themselves brightly. Cloud...had just asked to kiss Sora. CLOUD! He could hear the blood rushing swiftly through his veins, and he wouldn't be surprised if Cloud heard it as well. He looked into the blonde's deep blue eyes, genuinely touched that Cloud had asked him first. Not that he would have minded if he didn't ask and just did it anyway, but this earned the blonde a LOT of respect in Sora's book. He licked his lips because they had suddenly gone dry, and nodded, giving Cloud permission.

He could feel the breath that Cloud had been holding let out across his face, and the quiet blonde closed the distance between thier faces, brushing Sora's lips patiently with his own.

The feel of Cloud's pale lips were silky and soft, and a thought flitted through his mind of why he hadn't ever done this before. When Sora didn't pull away or show any signs of dislike, Cloud let his lips press more firmly against the brunette's. The blood rushed through his veins faster than ever as his heart pounded wildly. Cloud was kissing him!

The lips on his own broke contact, and Cloud leaned back away from Sora. He seemed to have an almost sheepish look on his face, which Sora thought didn't fit him at all, so he smiled reasurringly. The look on Cloud's face slowly melted away to be replaced by a kind smile.

Neither of them really knew what to say, and as Cloud opened his mouth to try, there came loud scuffling sounds which could only be the presence of one thing. Heartless. Sora grabbed for his Keyblade, prepared to go fight them off- as always. Instead, he felt a staying hand on his own, and looked up to see Cloud standing in front of him.

"Sora...let me handle them. You've been doing so much lately, and I've been doing practically nothing. Stay here or go somewhere else and focus on doing what you have to to defeat Marluxia." The older one told him.

"But-" Sora protested, only to be cut off by Cloud's finger being placed gently on his lips.

"Please, Sora. You have enough on your plate already, and I have nothing to do." Cloud said in a tone that gave no room for argument.

Sora sighed and nodded, giving in. "Be careful then."

Cloud gave him a reasuring smile. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. If you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask me, okay? I'll see you again, Sora." And with that, he turned and walked away towards the sounds in another part of the coliseum.

-P-u-P-p-E-t-

There's still at least two-ish chapters left to be written of this story, so that's why I decided to just change it from oneshot to a few chapter story. I needed reviews to keep me going, or I'd probably just tuck it away in my computer and never look at it again. Which would be a waste, since I'm rather proud of this story. Please review? 


	2. No Strings Attached

This story is my 'writers block' story. As in, "Hmm, what is there to write for my other story? I'm stuck. I'll work on puppet." And here we are. Warning: Citrus and stuff, muahaha!

-P-u-P-p-E-t

Riku held his own against the Heartless easily, even though his mind was focused on other things. So much so, that he did not notice the intrusion of someone other than a Heartless until they were quite close.

He blinked at the gorgeous blonde standing in front of him, before readying his Batwing sword for attack.

"Hey, wait! I'm not looking for a fight!" The spiky blonde said, holding up his hands to show that he was unarmed. Well, at least he didn't have weapons in his hands...at the moment.

"Then what are you looking for?" Riku asked, still keeping his blade up.

"Heartless." The attractive blond told him simply.

"You can't fool me." Riku protested, his aqua eyes narrowing. "The only people I ever see here are those who have turned to darkness, and I am here to destroy them."

The golden-haired man sighed, looking at the ground. "Perhaps I have turned to the darkness before. It's a mistake I sincerely regret, and I am not planning on doing it again. It cost me too much."

Riku relaxed his blade, beginning to understand this alluring older person in front of him. "I know what you mean. Darkness has a high price...one which I wish I had never paid."

The blonde looked at him with deep blue eyes. "You're...Riku, aren't you? Sora told me about you once, after I told him that I was searching for someone. He said he was searching for someone, too. You."

Riku looked wonderingly at him. "He...said that? You know Sora?"

Golden spikes shook slightly as he nodded, "Yes, I know him. He's here, actually."

"What! Sora's here? Where? Who ARE you, anyway?" Riku questioned, his heart speeding up a few notches at the thought of seeing Sora again- without being enemies. Would Sora ever forgive him for what he did? Probably not, Sora's heart was too pure to want anything to do with a corrupted soul like himself. But yet...If this person in front of him knew Sora, and used to play for the darkness...then maybe Riku did stand a chance.

"I'm Cloud Strife, and yes, I just saw Sora a few minutes ago." The blue-eyed blonde explained, gesturing behind him.

Riku then remembered something that made his heart sink. He couldn't see anyone here unless they were tied to the darkness somehow, and Sora was anything but dark. "It doesn't matter I guess..." Riku muttered.

Cloud looked confused, "You don't want to see him?"

"Of course I do! But that's not the problem. Here, I can only see people with ties to the darkness, such as yourself. Sora has none such ties. I wouldn't be able to see him if I tried." Riku sighed, and sat down on the cold floor of the coliseum. "Not that he'd want to see me anyway."

Cloud sat almost gracefully next to him. "What makes you say that?"

Riku looked up, his pale aqua eyes meeting Cloud's bright blue ones. "I'm nothing...nothing but a puppet to the darkness- to Ansem. He's inside me, ready to control and manipulate my every move to his will. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

To his surprise, Cloud smiled wryly. "Seems this place is nothing but a stage..." he said cryptically.

"What?" Riku asked, not understanding.

Cloud looked away. "Sora just told me he was having the same problem, too. He said he was just a puppet for Marluxia..."

"Oh?" Riku pressed, wanting to know more. His blonde companion seemed the only tie he had to Sora in a long time. Maybe just the person he needed right now.

"Yes... I also told him that I too had the same problem once. I was Sephiroth's puppet. He would control my body to do his will." Cloud said, watching Riku with his intense blue eyes.

"So...you know what I've been feeling. What it feels like to have somebody else controlling you. How it feels when your hands are no longer your own. When your body doesn't respond when you tell your legs to run away. When you almost kill the person who is perhaps the most important in your life?" Riku said sadly, meeting Cloud's gaze with an intense one of his own.

"Yes, exactly. Sephiroth made me...I was so close...so close to killing Aerith myself... If I had been any weaker, my sword would have been the one plunging through her. I would have killed her." Cloud told him quietly, looking down at his hands. Both the gloved and the clawed one were shaking.

Riku nodded, feeling that both of them were very alike. "Cloud..." He put a hand on one of Cloud's shaking ones, steadying it. "But you didn't kill her, did you?"

The blonde shook his head, turning his hand so that he could hold Riku's. "No...but Sephiroth almost did. I'm still looking for her. That's why I turned to the darkness, because Hades promised that if I did, he'd help me find her. Who knows, maybe she did die after all."

"Do you know that?" Riku demanded caringly. "Are you ready to give up, just like that?"

Cloud looked up at Riku with a wondering expression. "I...no, I'm not." His face melted into a smile, squeezing Riku's hand a little before letting go of it. "So far, you're the closest person who I've met that knows most about what I've been through. Thanks, Riku."

Riku was taken aback at the gratitude that Cloud was showing. "You're thanking me? You're the one who even bothered to talk to me." 'Not to mention you're really hot.' Riku added in his head, able to keep it mental unlike Sora's talkative mouth. "You're my closest connection to Sora at the moment as well. Is he alright?"

Cloud nodded, "Yeah, I think he'll be alright. Now that he has a purpose and knows what he has to do.

The silver-haired one sighed sadly and put his head in his hands. "I just wish I could get rid of Ansem. But even still, would that help? I miss Sora."

A weight settled itself comfortingly on his shoulder, and he looked up to see a hand there. Cloud smiled, "You know what I told Sora? I told him to find a distraction. It helps you take your mind off things. Helps a lot." His eyes became distant.

"Distractions? Like what?"

"Well, my distraction used to be Leon. He and I were...close." Cloud told him.

Riku wasn't surprised by this. After all, the blonde was extremely good-looking, and what guy would pass up someone like him? "I see... Were?"

"Yes. Were."

"So you're single?" The silver-haired one pressed, getting ideas.

"You could probably say that..." Cloud replied, raising an eyebrow in a gesture of interest.

Riku smiled. "Well..." He leaned in close to Cloud, bringing his hand up and trailing his fingers across the blonde's cheek. When there was no move made to pull away, he continued, "No one's going to get mad at me for distracting you, then."

He brought his lips up to Cloud's in a cautious kiss, not really sure what to expect from the enigma sitting by him. He was relieved when Cloud returned the kiss. At least then he wouldn't be called a pervert or anything for kissing this beautiful blonde whom he had just met. Riku pulled away from the other's lips slowly, not really sure how much he wanted to push things.

Cloud watched him with unreadable eyes, that soon flowed into an amused expression. "And to what do I owe that pleasure to?" He asked his aqua-eyed companion.

"Do you really have to ask? You're hot, gorgeous, and appealing; you can empathize with me; and you're the only friendly human interaction I've had in a while." Riku replied boldly.

Cloud smirked at him. "And you know that you're just as sexy." It was not a question.

Riku countered with a smirk of his own. "And what are you going to do about it?" He taunted.

"This." Cloud told him simply, leaning towards Riku and pressing his pale lips up against the silver-haired boy's, letting his gloved hand trail through that silken silver hair.

Riku moved his body closer to Cloud's, savoring the gentle kiss, yet he wanted more. He let his tongue lap slightly at the others lips, asking permission to be let in. Cloud's lips parted without hesitation, allowing Riku's tongue to slip inside, where it proceeded to explore.

Apparently, Cloud was not one to submit easily. His tongue battered playfully with Riku's, his fingers massaging the back of his head softly. Riku was not the submissive type either, and both tried to win the battle playing out inside each other's mouths. Riku's own hands left their resting places at his sides, and brought them up to caress Cloud's cheeks and hair. The hair was remarkably similar to Sora's, but where Sora's was soft and supple, Cloud's was smooth and silky.

Riku's eyes were closed as they both broke for air, and then dived back in with passion, each of them trying to get an advantage over the other, with no winner in sight. Or maybe there was.

Cloud's hand moved from Riku's hair to make it's way down to his hip, where it rested, massaging slightly. Riku found himself making a small moaning sound. He was losing. Cloud's clawed hand lightly touched his cheek, the cold metal sending goose bumps down his side. Riku pressed himself as close as he could to Cloud's body, without sitting in his lap.

They broke for air again, and this time Cloud did not plunge back into Riku's mouth, instead he moved his pale lips to Riku's neck and began kissing and nipping it tenderly. Riku moaned in pleasure. Yep, he had lost. He gripped Cloud's hair with one of his hands, while the other settled itself comfortably on the blonde's shoulder, moving downward until it reached the spot on his back where the wing connected. He caressed the joint softly, feeling the odd, leathery skin, and Cloud shuddered with pleasure against him.

The hand on his hip moved upward, under his shirt, where it traced invisible lines making slight shivers run through Riku's body. The clawed hand joined it, making a cold, hard counterpoint to the soft, warm hand already there. Combined with Cloud's soft lips kissing below his ear and nipping his earlobe playfully, it was heaven.

The claws dragged lightly down his chest, just enough so it didn't hurt or break the skin. Riku knew that he was at the utter mercy of Cloud, and if he wanted to kill him, it wouldn't have been hard at all. But Riku wasn't worried about that, he had lost track of all time and how much he was moaning. They could have been sitting there for hours or just scant minutes and he wouldn't have known the difference, only that he wished it would never end.

He didn't bother to stop Cloud when his shirt was removed and he was pushed back onto the cold floor of the coliseum, the weight of the blonde settling slightly on him as thighs held him from either side of his waist. Cloud licked slowly down across his neck and onto his collarbone, where he stopped to lavish the soft skin, before traveling downward again.

Riku's heart was beating rapidly, letting himself enjoy Cloud's touches, and he let out a shuddering moan as pale, silky lips found his nipple. The blonde's teeth scraped softly and teasingly at it, and Riku buried both of his hands in Cloud's hair. It felt weird to be submitting to someone else, yet there was a profound sort of longing in it, as if he needed for once to be the one who wasn't dominating things. He needed a distraction, and this was working extremely well.

The silver-haired boy felt the attention giving mouth of the blonde move even lower, and he shuddered in anticipation as Cloud's hand and claw fumbled clumsily at his belt, and he reached down to help him remove it. Cloud's hands were able to work fine from there, and he pulled down Riku's pants and boxers, exposing him even more to the cold floor underneath him.

The blonde wasted no time with making sure Riku was ready or even teasing him, and quickly engulfed as much of Riku's arousal as possible with his hot, wet mouth. The aqua eyes fluttered closed and he moaned with pleasure as Cloud's tongue played along his length with needy intensity. The black wing moved to trail against his hip and side, adding even more to the sensations.

Riku shuddered again as pleasure ripped through him. He was enjoying Cloud's forcefulness. This wasn't about love or sensuality, this was about sex. It made him feel less guilty about liking Sora, yet suddenly sleeping with this person whom he had just met. And, oh, Cloud was good. His mouth was moving quickly and persistently, and the only problem Riku had with any of it was that he wasn't on top. Cloud was older, but Riku probably could have pushed his position more...yet it really wasn't that unpleasant at all.

Still, he felt like he had to do something, so he dug his hand's into Cloud's hair, holding his head still. He then thrusted himself into Cloud's mouth. The blonde's eyes looked up at him and he quirked an eyebrow. Riku just smirked and thrusted harder. He could have sworn he felt Cloud smirk as well, and the tongue began it's work again, this time with even more passion and fervor. The second battle of the war had begun, with each of them doing the most they could, trying to prove themselves to the other. Riku was in ecstasy, and he felt that he would release soon, but he tried to hold off, wanting this to last forever.

-p-U-p-P-e-T-

Sora found himself touching his lips softly where Cloud had kissed him. It had been a simple kiss, maybe...but Sora found so many meanings in it. He liked guys, that was for sure now. He had friends that were girls, but none were likely to ever become his girlfriend. Kairi was a friend, a but could only be a good friend at most. He and she were so different, and that difference kept them from making anything more of their relationship.

Riku...well, Riku was his best friend since before he could remember. If there was an adventure worth having, Riku would be the one to jump at it, and he was always dragging Sora along with him. They may have been different in many ways, but they understood each other. Riku could be a sore loser and arrogant at times, but he also had a playful and teasing side. Sora was one to hang on to his childhood innocence as long as he could, and that made him naive and maybe not as understanding as he could be, but coupled with Riku's understanding and seriousness, they were like a perfect match.

Yeah, so maybe Sora had a crush on his best friend, but it was probably just his childishness. It's not like Riku would ever see him like that. Riku had even had a couple boyfriends before, so it wasn't like the sexual tendencies were an issue. Truthfully, Sora was scared of saying anything about it. He didn't want to lose anything from the friendship they already had, and if Riku didn't feel the same way, then that could create a rift between them that might never heal.

Cloud's kiss had been an insight into what he could possibly have in his life. It was caring and kind...like a promise of protection, and of truthfulness. It worked very well at distracting him, because now he could think about the soft feel of Cloud's pale lips on his own and the closeness and warmth emanating from the body that had been so close to him.

The scuffling sound of Heartless erupted all around him, and Sora suddenly found himself surrounded by black bodies. He grabbed his Keyblade and started hacking away at them. Parrying here, getting in a critical attack there, yet still they came. Sora knew he could probably handle them all if he tried, but it would be a stretch, and severely tiring. although...there had to be a time to test if the offer was real.

"Cloud!" he called out to the air, focusing his mind on the older blonde.

-p-U-p-P-e-T-

All of a sudden, Cloud's eyes widened, and he sat up, still on top of Riku. Riku groaned at the sudden stop of the pleasure and looked up at Cloud, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back down. "What is it?" he asked.

Cloud looked confused for a moment and said. "Sora. It's Sora. He's calling me or something."

"Sora? What's wrong?" Riku asked, still annoyed that he was laying there completely exposed and had no release from the pressure in his groin.

"Well, I told him that if he needed help or something, I'd come." Cloud explained.

'You'd come? I need to come. Right now.' Riku thought. But if Sora was in trouble or something...he groaned again. To be selfish or not? "Did he sound urgent, like he would die if you didn't help him this moment?"

Cloud thought about it and shook his head. "No. Not like that...it was more of...like he could handle it, but it would be easier with help."

That decided Riku. "Then he can wait. I however, might die if you just leave me like this." He said stubbornly. He did feel bad about leaving Sora like that, but Sora was a lot stronger than he looked. A lot. He even beat Riku once. Riku who was enhanced with all of Ansem's powers at the time. He and Cloud still needed to hurry though. Sora must at least need some help if he was asking.

Cloud smirked at him. "Alright. I'll finish you then."

Riku rolled his eyes, "And what about you?" He looked pointedly at the bulge in Cloud's pants, "I'm not going to let you be the self-sacrificing hero." He sat up and grabbed the waist of Cloud's pants and started undoing them.

Cloud didn't stop him, but he did say, "But we don't have time for-"

"I know, I know." Riku said irritably, and having undone the pants, pulled them down along with the boxers until they were entirely off Cloud's legs. He grabbed Cloud's hips forcefully and pulled them down firmly on his own. Then he began grinding his own hips up into the blonde's, exercising his control even from the bottom position, and not even caring that Cloud still had his cloak and shirt on.

Cloud smirked even more and dove down to engage Riku's tongue in another playful combat, his hands grabbing Riku's sides and rubbing sensually, the cold metal of the claw tracing lightly. He then ground his own hips forcefully against Riku, both of them roughly and trying to make the other release quickly. It was the third battle.

Riku was moaning loudly into the blonde's mouth, and dug his hands into Cloud's red cape to use him as leverage to thrust up even harder. As an afterthought, he used one of his hands to grip and massage the wing joint, which he had found to be a sensitive spot. He was right, and Cloud's body shuddered in rapture against him. To answer, the blonde shoved his hips even faster and more firmly, making Riku almost whimper in the sheer pleasure and slight pain it caused. Their breathing was harsh and erratic.

"Mmm...Cloud..." he mumbled, but the friction of it all was just to much for the silver-haired boy, and he released with a loud cry and groan, the pleasure spiraling through him in forceful waves and slowly disperseing. Cloud however, was not done, and continued shoving against Riku roughly. Though now that Riku wasn't hard anymore, it hurt. A lot. He didn't want to get aroused again either. Not because it wasn't enjoyable, but because they didn't have the time.

So, Riku grabbed Cloud's hips and quickly flipped their positions around, so that he was on top. He then quickly moved his head down and grabbed the blonde's hard member between his lips. Knowing that he had to do this fast, he used his mouth, tongue, and fingers to pleasure Cloud as much as he could.

"R...iku..." Cloud muttered, as he made small moaning sounds of pleasure. The silver-haired boy continued to trace intricate patterns with his tongue and rubbed insistently at the base of the erection with his fingers. Cloud's hand entwined itself into silver hair, mussing it and controlling his head movement's slightly. Riku found that he could taste his own essence on Cloud as he sucked vigorously and even tickled slightly with his teeth.

Finally, Cloud released with an intense cry of rapture. Riku swallowed quickly and pulled away, panting at the strain all of that had put on him and feeling severely drained. He wasn't used to such demanding exercises such as that. But then again, it had been so good...

He just lay there on the floor with his eyes closed, savoring what he had just experienced. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw that Cloud was fully dressed and straightening out his ruffled hair spikes. Cloud flashed his a smile that conveyed all sorts of content, thanks, and just plain lust. He then turned and started walking away. "I've got to go. See you around Riku." He called over his shoulder, almost as if nothing had just happened between them, and kept walking.

"Does that mean I lost?" Riku mused quietly to himself, and gathered his clothes, pulling them on slowly.

-P-u-P-p-E-t-

Wow...Cloud is SUCH a player...heh... I think Cloud is a really weird character in this story. Even I don't understand him, so don't ask me. 


End file.
